Tag: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

From beach trips to the Super Bowl, here’s what 12 NASCAR drivers did in their offseasons

NASCAR’s offseason is famously short, but these drivers took advantage.

NASCAR’s offseason is famously short, lasting from mid-November until early February. And with the Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway, an exhibition race, on Sunday, that offseason is officially over as drivers and their teams prepare for the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 16.

From traveling to the mountains to islands to the Super Bowl, drivers took advantage of what little time they had off to relax and have some fun with their friends and families. And, of course, plenty of them got back behind the wheel for a few offseason races.

So before the 2020 NASCAR season officially begins, here’s a look back at the highlights of how some drivers enjoyed their offseasons.

Kyle Busch

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champ had a busy offseason because in addition to celebrating his second title, he and his family, Samantha and their son Brexton, took a trip to Cabo San Lucas, and he competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona (also known as the 24 Hours of Daytona).

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I swear we actually have suits on 🙈😜 #cabo

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His team didn’t win, but he clearly enjoyed the experience in a sports car for the endurance race.

Clint Bowyer

Although it was a recent development, it’s possible nobody had a better weekend during the offseason than Clint Bowyer did over Super Bowl weekend. The diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan watched his team win the Super Bowl on Sunday over the San Francisco 49ers, and he documented his post-game celebrations on social media, thankfully.

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Happened folks!!!! #superbowl @chiefs

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He even caught up with Andy Reid and fellow superfan Eric Stonestreet.

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Our coach is better! 💪 @chiefs #champs

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This shit happened. @chiefs

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It also appears he had a rough next day.

Kyle and Samantha Busch also went to the Super Bowl:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Jr. actually curated an exhibit at the NASCAR Hall of Fame called “Dale Jr.: Glory Road Champions,” which opened in early January and features 18 championship cars.

Amy Earnhardt and their daughter, Isla, also got cars of their own. According to Amy’s Instagram, Dale Jr. surprised her with a 1966 El Camino for Christmas, and Isla, who will be two years old in April, showed off her driving skills too.

Dale Jr. and his XFINITY Series team, JR Motorsports, also announced his one race for 2020 will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March.

Jimmie Johnson

Almost immediately after the 2019 season ended, the seven-time Cup Series champion announced that the 2020 season will be his last full-time schedule. So really, this was his last offseason going into his 19 Cup season, but it doesn’t seem like he did anything differently.

He spent a lot of time in Aspen on the ski slopes, and he and his oldest daughter, 9-year-old Evie, competed together and were part of the winning team in an amateur skiing competition. Johnson said competing with her was “a highlight of 2019”.

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Thank you Santa! #PowderDay

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Of course, there was some more traditional racing too.

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It’s a family affair. #GirlsRule #ProudDad

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Chase Elliott

NASCAR’s most popular driver went to the SEC championship game in December, only to watch his Georgia Bulldogs get rocked by LSU.

Kyle Larson

Like any other NASCAR offseason, Larson spent his time away from the Cup Series racing, and he crossed off a major bucket list accomplishment, winning his first Chili Bowl Nationals last month. It’s no secret that this was a huge goal of Larson’s, and his victory came a year after he lost a heartbreaker on the last lap.

“I’m sorry NASCAR, I’m sorry Daytona, but this is the biggest (expletive) race I’ve ever won,” Larson said, via NBC Sports. “I hope to win Daytona in a few weeks but this is bad ass.”

Brad Keselowski

Brad and Paige Keselowski’s family grew this offseason as they welcomed their second daughter, Autumn, to the world in December. The couple also have a 4-year-old daughter, Scarlett.

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Love my girls. Welcome to the family, Autumn!

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Denny Hamlin

The defending Daytona 500 champ underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder as soon as the 2019 season ended. Unsurprisingly after his recovery, he spent some time on the golf course.

Ryan Blaney

Blaney enjoyed the island life a little bit, jetting off to Turks And Caicos with friends, including Darrel “Bubba” Wallace Jr., William Byron and Daniel Hemric.

Daniel Suárez

Suárez finally locked down a full-time ride for the 2020 Cup Series season. After winning the 2016 XFINITY Series championship and splitting his first three Cup seasons between Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, Suárez was replaced by Cole Custer in the No. 41 Ford. However, with only a few weeks remaining in the offseason, it was announced that he will drive the No. 96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing.

Austin Dillon

Austin and Whitney Dillon announced they’re expecting their first child in June this year.

Matt DiBenedetto

Ahead of his first season with Wood Brothers Racing, the No. 21 Ford driver got matching giraffe costumes with his brother for Christmas.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. praises Luke Kuechly for setting ‘amazing example’ with early retirement

Dale Jr. understands the Carolina LB’s decision to retire early in his career.

It’s no surprise that retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fully supportive of Luke Kuechly’s decision to retire from playing in the NFL.

The Carolina Panthers linebacker announced Tuesday night through the team’s Twitter account that he is retiring after eight season in the league, which which included seven Pro Bowls, five First-Team All-Pro nods and being the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year and 2012 Defensive Rookie of the Year. But the 28-year-old player also suffered multiple concussions throughout his career and is making what he clearly feels is the best decision for his future.

Earnhardt gets that.

The 45-year-old driver retired from racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series at the end of the 2017 season. Although a concussion sidelined him for the second half of the 36-race season in 2016, he could have continued racing, but he wanted to walk away from the sport on his own terms.

Speaking to the media at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday during an event for the “Dale Jr.: Glory Road Champions” exhibit, Earnhardt praised Kuechly’s early retirement decision. He shared similar feelings in August following quarterback Andrew Luck’s retirement announcement.

The retired NASCAR driver and longtime Washington Redskins fan said:

“My feeling for Luke is relief. He had an amazing career, and obviously, I’m sure, he would have loved to play longer. But he’s made some amazing, great choices for himself and for his family and his future. And he feels strongly about that decision, and all you can do is support that.

“He’s gave everything he could when he was out on the field for the better of his team. If you listen to the comments from his coaches and the players that he’s played with, you understand exactly what kind of person he was and how supportive — how much of a teammate he was to the guys he played with. That speaks volumes.

“You just have to support his decision. You have to want to support his decision and [be] excited about his future and what he might do next and the next chapter for him. It’s gonna be positive and successful, you’d imagine, because of the type of person he is. And I think that, you know, when you get in those type of situations that he was in, you have to make some difficult choices, and I think he made the right one. I feel like a lot of people can learn from that. I think he set an amazing example for a lot of young folks to follow.”

Beyond his 2016 injury, Earnhardt has a long history with concussions. He estimates he suffered 20 to 25 concussions, many undiagnosed, throughout his NASCAR career, which spanned more than two decades.

Since retiring from full-time racing — he still competes in one race a year — Dale Jr. has worked to raise awareness about concussions and their symptoms. In 2016, he also said he will donate his brain for concussion research.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is officially returning to NASCAR for 1 race in 2020

Dale Jr. is officially getting back behind the wheel in 2020.

For the third straight season since retiring from racing in NASCAR full-time, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting back in the car for a one-off race.

And this time, JR Nation won’t have to wait until the after the season’s halfway point to see their favorite driver back behind the wheel.

Earnhardt — who’s now an analyst for NBC Sports, which broadcasts the second half of the NASCAR Cup Series season — will drive the No. 8 Chevrolet for his XFINITY Series team, JR Motorsports, in the second-tier series’ race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March, the team announced Tuesday. Like his lone XFINITY races in 2018 and 2019, his car will have a Hellmann’s paint scheme, but this one is bright yellow.

Last season, Earnhardt’s one-off race was during Darlington Raceway’s throwback weekend in August. He ran a paint scheme that honored his late father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., and finished fifth.

In 2018, he returned to the track the season after officially retiring from the Cup Series and competed at Richmond Raceway, finishing fourth.

Before racing at Darlington in 2019, Earnhardt said he was interested in competing at Homestead during the 2020 season if his sponsor option was picked up. However, for the first time since 2002, the 1.5-mile track won’t host NASCAR’s championship weekend in November with the season finale moving to Phoenix Raceway and the sport traveling to south Florida in March.

In 17 starts at Homestead in the Cup Series, Dale Jr. walked away with one top-5 finish and two top 10s, and in five starts in the XFINITY Series, he similarly has one top five and three top 10s.

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